Hello everyone. I'm pretty new to this hobby as my only other experience is a few years in Germany relic hunting WW2 battle fields with my old Tesoro.

I'm now living in California City and work on Edwards AFB. I'm pretty much set on the Minelab SE and would like to know what the best book or reference material is regarding setup and user info (if there is any). I originally planned to go with an X70 since I wanted to try nugget hunting, but I found that our recently vacated housing area on base is LOADED with coinage! I spent an hour there today with a borrowed Whites Spectrum Eagle and couldn't go more than 5 feet without bringing up a coin. No silver on that first day and oldest coin was a '45 Wheat Penny. The housing was built in the early 50s so there is bound to be silver. Over a hundred housing units to search and hopefully I can get all of them before they bulldoze them.

Anyway, any advice on places or books to learn the SE would be appreciated. Here are a few photos of my first hunt today at the housing area. Sorry for the poor quality as I used my cell phone.

#1- Vacated 50s era housing units.


#2- Only hunted this one yard in 1 hour and didn't even get the entire yard. I'm still slow!


#3- First dime, but only clad.


#4- '45 Wheat Penny


#5- The finds from a 1 hour hunt. Nice old Monopoly piece too.

Hi there..Weasel_Loader.

The first thing is..the SE should come with a presentation dvd to familiarize you with the unit.
Second thing. I cannot stress enough, buying your new detector from a local dealer. If you're considering buying from KellyCo, you aren't going to get the support and assistance a local dealer will give you...PERIOD!
Believe me. It can be a frustrating situation, getting a new unit and having a hundred questions regarding it..and you can't the information you need . Arrrgh!

Price doesn't mean "diddly" if you've got a detector you can't figure out.

I have been at my local dealer's countless times when people have called, who have bought detectors from mail order companies and are "stuck" or just can't figure out how to use their new detector. It kinda sucks because they didn't even buy their detector from him..yet they want all this information from him.

Are there any local dealers near you, do you know? If you can't find one..I can check for you. My dealer is in Foster City, Ca. (about 15 miles south of S.F) He's been is business for over 25 years. Very reputable..very helpful.

If you can't locate a dealer near you. Lemme know. I'll hook you up.

Of course. There are many-many SE users here on the forum that can help out with tips and such. But I would wait 'til you get the detector first.

Bill

Welcome aboard Weasel. Those WWII and Post war military housing units are always loaded with coins. Same for us up here at Ft. Ord (built late '40s/early '50s). I guess it had to do with the way the military canteens worked? Or that the housing units were for married couples, who invariably had fumble fingers kids? I dunno.

Anyhow, your best bet for the SE is to 1) read the manual that will come with it, and then 2) hook up with someone already proficient with the Explorer, to take you out and compare signals. The reason for this is, that there is simply no way for any book or manual to instruct to actual field use. I mean, how do you describe a tone in print? or a swing speed without having it actually shown? etc...

There's plenty of So. CA hunters who post on the main forum page. Maybe some of them are from near you.

Thanks guys. I understand the SE has a steep learning curve, but I think I'd love the challenge.

As for dealers; the nearest one to me is Antelope Valley Treasure Hunting Supplies. I think they operate out of a home business and 45min away. A little far but worth checking out to see what kind of deal they can offer. It would be valuable to have a place to take my detector if I get hung up. I'll give them a call.

Thanks again for any tips and I'll keep you all updated on my progress.

I agree with Tom, If it was not for the great guys/gals on this forum to help me with my EX2, I'd still be pulling my hair out!! Oh by the way, can you say road trip! I'll be coming to see ya and help ya dig up all that silver!!! :thumber: :thumber:

Weasel loader, I am Richard living in Bakersfield... I have been mding for quite a while but still consider myself learning... I have an MXT and more recently acquired a EXII about a month and a half ago... I've been working real hard learning the EX II working with a friend of mine who has a lot of time on the EXII.. If you need a partner, I am retired and am looking for new places to hunt.. either coins or gold prospecting...
give me a call at 661 204 7118 or email and maybe we can get together... There are several old parks in Bakersfield that have yielded some silver and lots of clads and some wheaties...
give me a holler... Richard (Smitty on the forum)
email: ras5402@yahoo.com

Smitty,

I'll keep you in mind. Right now, I've only got one other buddy and he lives in Ridgecrest. He's been pretty busy lately and hasn't been able to get out. I'll get back with you as soon as I get my SE. It really helps to be able to hunt with others using the same detector. I've been busy the last couple days reading over the SE manual that I downloaded. Hope it helps reading before hand. I also fooled around with the SE emulator that I downloaded.

I'll be hitting the old base housing again tomorrow and hope to hit silver. :rolleyes:

Welcome Weasel
I too am a new SE owner and just starting to learn the machine. I figure a little time and a lot of practice we'll be out there doing ok.

Well, I've called my so-called local dealer (45min away) three times now on different days and only get an answering machine. Didn't leave a message since I'm never home long enough to be there if they call back and if it's an out of the house operation and difficult to get hold of, then I might be better off with a mail order.

Finding a good quality SE package is difficult. Kellyco offers good deals, but much of what you get is not quality. I found Detectordepot has an excellent package. They throw in the usuall (good) stuff such as rain cover, carry bag, and car charger for $1295. They also include free 8" coil or you can opt for an extra $100 a Sunray X-1 probe. I'd take the X-1 probe since I hear great things about it. Also priced in a set of Sunray Headphones and that all comes to little over $1500. Now I'm trying to decide on a second coil. Sunray, Coiltek, Excellerator? Small or large? Hmmm.

Went out again today and found my oldest so far. 1919 Lincoln Wheat!!! :thumber:

If you want to call my dealer friend before you go the mail order route, (Many on this forum know him and have done business with him) feel free to P.M. me. I'll give you his number.

Bill

What Bill said. Even if the dealer is not in your area, the difference between a warehouse dealer (kellyco) and a personal dealer can be quite pronounced. Even now, 30 yrs. later, even though I may "already know what I want", I still give my business to the local dealers. Example: One day I found myself ......having driven 1 hr. to a beach I intended to hunt ..... I forgot my sand scoop! Oooops. But no problem: I called the local guy whom I had just bought a detector from recently, and say "can I borrow a sandscoop for a day?", and he says "sure". Try borrowing a sandscoop on shortnotice from a mail-order business 1000 miles away :)

I went ahead and ordered a Minelab SE package today through Trans Bay Metal Detectors. I've got to say that Greg Moscini was super easy and very helpful to deal with. He really knows his detectors and really takes the time to explain it all. I spent more money than the wife had liked, but I got a deal that no other dealer could have beat, even with CA sales tax. Granted, I've never delt with Kellyco, but after looking through thier (extras) that they throw in, it just isn't the quality I'd like and stuff I won't use/need.

I ended up getting the SE and got a 5" Sunray coil for heavy trash hunting. Sunray inline probe. Cover and bag for detector. Sunray digger (already have a Lesche, but wanted to try this one). Minelab pouch. Sunray Pro Gold Headphones and that's about all I think.

Thanks again to all that have been helpful with advice and hope to post some finds here. I'm going to try my best and log all my finds and post pictures. Take care everyone.

Just got my SE today. Too bad I'm going on vacation tomorrow and won't be able to take it with me. It's okay, I'll just read, read and read the manual. Glad I fooled around with the emulator, so I pretty much got the hang of the menu system.

One thing I couldn't help but notice is the weight of this machine!!! I've only used a Tesoro Sidewinder and Whites Spectrum Eagle. My new SE does have the X-1 probe, so I think my arms are going to get a nice workout. Might have to check out one of those Swingy Things.

Very impressed with the quality of the rig!!! :thumber:

Try it before you get fancy with any of those weight support things ("swingy-thingy, or hipmount). Although it is heavy, it's balanced with the arm-design, so that your forearm takes a lot of the weight. Also, make sure your rod length is exactly right when you begin to hunt. If you have any bend in your elbow as you hunt, shorten the rod. And if you're hunched forward to reach the ground, lengthen the rod. Having the rod slightly longer or shorter than it should be for your height, will increase the load on your arm or back.

925 is looking for some credit with his dealer :rotfl: get em billy :thumber:

Jk - bill is right, kellyco blows... support your local dealer!

Good choice on both the SE and the Dealer.
Congrats on the best machine on the market.
HH,
MT

log on to mlotv.com and you can watch lots of videos on the different explorers you just need hi speed internet. Also minelabowners.com has lots of info. good luck

Thanks. I found Minelabowners.com and MLOTV.com last week and watched and read just about everything. Sounds like they have great plans.

I've had my SE since last Wednesday and I still haven't had time to use it. Been real busy and hope to try it tomorrow before work.

I got me SE out today for the first time. VERY overwhelming I must say. I had plenty of time to read the manual and understand everything. I didn't dare try all metal to begin with. Here is what I started with.

I set up a pattern that basically discriminated out only nails. That seemed too busy for me and I notched out foil. Much better and I begin to find clad but not as much as I did with my borrowed Whites Spectrum Eagle. I hunt in old early 50s era military housing that to my knowledge is virgin territory.

The only other settings I messed with outside factory settings were the following. I did adjust variability down to 7. I did an automatic noise selection prior to hunting. Lowered threashold down to barely audible.

Overall, I was a little disappointed that my coin count was low, but understand it was only my first day and that I still have plenty to learn in the field with the SE. I just seemed the signals were coming constantly and hard to distinguish between good and bad. I guess just spend a day digging everything to learn what each sound is?

I know my current site has silver and still waiting for the first one. If anyone is interested in coming out this way to Edwards AFB, I can bring you on as a visitor her since I'm retired and have an ID card. They've pulled up all the asphalt roads, but the area is still open and yards and houses still intact for a few more months. When it gets to the point were they don't allow me in, there are plenty of other places here on base where other old housing was that is just open fields. Not sure how deep they are since they graded out the foundations on these houses. Nothing but the old trees in the area left.

Anyway, thanks for any tips and let me know if anyone wants to come out and I'd be more than willing to set up a day to hunt here.

Yeah, Weasle, I'd like to make the trip to Edwards to hunt with you.. I can come over about any time... I'm ex USAF (10yrs). but don't have access to the base..
Smitty

Well finally go to meet another forum member yesterday. Smitty and I met up at 8am ready to pound the old base housing here at Edwards AFB. I didn't find any silver but I mostly gained much needed experienced with my new SE. I'm thinking another day or two with factory settings before I'm ready to go with a little all metal.

I found 59 Lincoln Memorials, 1 Lincoln Wheat ('42-S), 6 Jefferesons, 7 Clad Rosies, 2 Clad Washingtons.

I switched between digital and smart find to figure out which I prefer. Hard to say, but I think I can positively identify most targets before I dig them. I find that sometimes Lincolns come pretty close to dimes.

I used 10 for variability. I was running pretty high sensitivity at 27. Smitty was running at 16 or so on his Explorer II. I think Conductive sounds are best when running factory preset discrimination. When I run iron mask, I'll switch to Ferrous sounds.

Smitty was able to find on silver. A '61 Rosie. Didn't realize it till he sat down to take a rest and look over his finds. He also found some pretty cool relics. Nice old Girl Scout badge and small die cast toy trailer.

I couldn't be more happy with my SE. If only the muscles in my body felt the same way. Almost five hours of detecting yesterday and my neck, back and legs are letting me feel it today. Sorry I didn't take any photos. I did mean to take some but forgot until I got home.

Hey Weasel now your getting out there with the SE and making finds bring your posts to the main forum and dont forget the pics. B)